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Washington Rejects Growth of Settlement in West Bank, Including in East Jerusalem

Passengers arrive on the Jordanian side of the Allenby Bridge crossing between the West Bank and Jordan on July 19, 2022. (Khalil MAZRAAWI / AFP)
Passengers arrive on the Jordanian side of the Allenby Bridge crossing between the West Bank and Jordan on July 19, 2022. (Khalil MAZRAAWI / AFP)
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Washington Rejects Growth of Settlement in West Bank, Including in East Jerusalem

Passengers arrive on the Jordanian side of the Allenby Bridge crossing between the West Bank and Jordan on July 19, 2022. (Khalil MAZRAAWI / AFP)
Passengers arrive on the Jordanian side of the Allenby Bridge crossing between the West Bank and Jordan on July 19, 2022. (Khalil MAZRAAWI / AFP)

US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides said on Wednesday that he is working with Israel to limit West Bank settlement growth including in east Jerusalem.

“The position of the US administration does not support settlement growth,” Nides said, adding that he made that position quite clear to the Israeli government several times.

The ambassador spoke at a press conference following an event in which the US Agency for International Development (USAID) announced $6.5 million for nongovernmental projects to benefit Palestinians.

He said the US plans to spend $500 million for Palestinians in 2022, including on UNRWA for Palestinian Refugees.

Since assuming its duties early last year, the administration of President Joe Biden has expressed its opposition to settlement in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Although Washington’s new administration kept operating from the US embassy that former President Donald Trump moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Washington asserted that it considers “East Jerusalem to be occupied.”

Nides himself announced that he would not visit any settlement.

On Wednesday, the US ambassador lauded Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s speech at the UN last week in which he affirmed his support for a two-state resolution to the conflict.

He noted that he had issued similar words when talking with US President Joe Biden in Jerusalem in July.

However, Nides was vague when asked about Lapid’s refusal to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

“We encourage any bit of dialogue that occurs. Our hope is that it will lead to more conversations. We obviously encourage those conversations to happen. We support his [Lapid’s] continuation of the articulation of the hope of a two-state solution,” the US ambassador stressed.

During his meeting in East Jerusalem, Nides revealed that the King Hussein Bridge, also known as the Allenby crossing between the West Bank and Jordan will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week starting October 24.

In a separate development, the Israeli Foreign Ministry released on Wednesday a poll showing that American students believe that by boycotting the Israeli entity, it would be more likely to change its aggressions against the Palestinian people.

The survey said 56 percent of US students exposed to Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions [BDS] movement's calls to boycott the “Israeli” entity, said they support the group’s position to boycott Israel.

The survey also showed that 48% of the students in the United States support Israel and believe it is an asset.

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Arab World

Houthi Charges of Espionage: A Tool to Intimidate, Control the Population

Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)
Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)
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Houthi Charges of Espionage: A Tool to Intimidate, Control the Population

Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)
Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)

The Houthi militia has recently released several individuals it had abducted for celebrating Yemen’s September Revolution. However, over the past few days, it has detained hundreds of residents in its stronghold of Saada, accusing them of espionage.

The campaign coincides with the airing of alleged confessions from a purported spy cell and the abduction of a former employee of the US Embassy in Yemen.

Local sources in Saada province, approximately 242 kilometers north of Sanaa, report that the Houthis have launched a widespread campaign of arrests targeting civilians. These individuals have been taken from their homes, workplaces, and businesses under allegations of collaborating with Western nations and Israel. Families of those detained have been warned to remain silent and refrain from discussing the arrests with the media or on social media platforms.

According to the sources, more than 300 individuals, including dozens of women, have been abducted across various districts in Saada. The arrests have also targeted relatives and associates of Othman Mujalli, a member of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, who hails from the region.

The sources suggest that the Houthis are detaining women as hostages to pressure their relatives, who may either be out of the militia’s reach or living outside Houthi-controlled areas. They also appear to be using the women to coerce confessions from male relatives. Last month, the Houthis accused Hamid Mujalli, Othman Mujalli’s brother, of engaging in espionage for Arab and Western nations for nearly two decades.

In a separate incident, the Houthis abducted a former employee of the US Embassy in Sanaa from his home on Monday without providing any explanation for their actions.

Release of Detainees

The Houthis recently released Sheikh Amin Rajeh, a tribal leader from Ibb province, after detaining him for four months. Several other individuals were also freed, none of whom had been formally charged during their detention. Rajeh, a member of the General People’s Congress Party, was one of many political activists, students, workers, and public employees abducted in September for celebrating Yemen’s September 26, 1962, revolution.

One of the released individuals, a shop owner, told Asharq Al-Awsat that he was unaware of the reason for his detention. He had been abducted in November, two months after the Houthis initiated a crackdown on those commemorating the revolution.

Alleged Spy Cell

Houthi-controlled media recently broadcast confessions from what they claimed was a newly uncovered spy cell. The group linked the cell to its broader narrative of “promised conquest and sacred jihad” against the West and Israel.

According to Houthi security officials, the alleged spy cell was working to compile a “target database,” monitor sites linked to missile forces and drones, and track specific military and security locations. They also claimed the cell had been observing the residences and movements of Houthi leaders.

In response, the Houthis issued warnings to residents, forbidding them from discussing or sharing information about militia-controlled sites, facilities, or the whereabouts of their leaders.

The Houthis’ actions reflect mounting concerns over potential strikes targeting their senior leadership, similar to the recent attacks on Hezbollah figures in Lebanon. Those fears come amid ongoing tensions with Israel, the United States, and the United Kingdom, following the Houthis’ assaults on international shipping lanes in the Red Sea and missile attacks on Israel.